Annabel Lee
by heyjoon
Summary: Annabel Ravenloft never expected the existence of vampires let alone werewolves, but after she arrives in Jackson following the death of her beloved uncle, things start to become clearer and her world begins to shake.
1. Chapter 1

Annabel Ravenloft had always had an inkling suspicion that vampires had existed, especially when people would flock to her home town during the month of night they were blessed with. But never having seen one up close and personal, she would always dismiss the strange behavior of the visitors as being that they were from far away and that was just how people who weren't from her town behaved. But as she considered the fact she was still imagining vampires as characters like Count Dracula and the like, she wouldn't really know how to recognize a vampire even if he were sitting right next to her. One thing she did know was that she never would go looking for a vampire intentionally, for when looking for the damned you may end up damned as well. But as she sat on the plane flying from Juneau, Alaska to Jackson, Mississippi only one thought kept running through her mind. "_Did a vampire really kill Uncle Theo?_"

Clutched in her petite, pale hands was a crumpled letter that had been read and reread so many times that she could practically recite it from heart. It was a letter from her Uncle Theodore that broke her heart more than anything else she experienced in life.

_Dearest Annabel,_

_ I do not know how much time I have left in this world, I can feel the darkness creeping in at every corner but I am not afraid. I never meant to leave you alone but I needed to let you be free and spread your wings and I, I had to find myself. What I discovered was something that changed my life for the better and for the worst. I don't expect you to understand right away, but I hope that some day you will and you will know my reasoning behind leaving. You are the most precious thing in this world to me; the daughter I was never blessed with, the moon to my Alaskan night sky, my precious niece._

_I can only hope you'll accept the last gifts I can give you and forgive this old fool for ever leaving you alone. I promise I will always be with you even when my soul leaves this body, I will always protect and love you. Please remember that. I leave you everything I own, from my house in Jackson, Mississippi all the way down to the last penny in my bank account as well as the dirty socks in the hamper. I apologize for those by the way. The house needs a bit of work as well as the yard, but I know you'll manage and turn it into your own little paradise here in the deep south. Maybe you'll even get a tan, but a part of me hopes you stay my little Alaskan wildflower._

_I love you with all my heart, my dear Annabel Lee._

_May you one day live and love by the sea._

_With all the love I can possess._

_Theodore Ravenloft_

Not understanding everything her uncle spoke about in his letter, Annabel quickly booked a flight to Jackson without looking back. She had nothing holding her to the snowy but also beautiful state she called home for the last 23 years of her life since her uncle was all she had in this world and now he was gone, his throat having been torn out by what the police say was a possible vampire attack. She cried for days after she received the letter but soon realized when she was out of tears crying would solve nothing. It didn't bring her parents back and it wouldn't bring her uncle back either.

Heaving a deep sigh, Annabel raised a finger to rub at a red rimmed hazel colored eye. The flight to Jackson was a long one but thankfully nobody sat in the seat next to her so she didn't have to worry about trying to keep up a conversation with someone for 7 hours. In 7 hours, she would be the farthest she'd ever been from home and not have a single person to rely on. More than she'd like to admit, terror gripped at the woman's heart at the prospect of being alone in strange city with nobody to turn to when the memories became too much to bear or when she felt lost and alone.

"_You'll be fine, don't worry so much. You managed it in Alaska and you'll manage it in Mississippi._" She chastised herself before she stretched out in her seat and yawned tiredly. Pulling the sleeves of her flannel shirt down to cover her hands, the small woman curled up in her seat and leaned her head against the cold window. "I wonder what Mississippi is like.." She mumbled to herself before heavy lids closed over hazel eyes and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Hours later, Annabel found herself sitting in the back of a cab with the air conditioning on full blast as it drove into a small town just outside Jackson's city limits. "Not from around here, are ya?" The older man driving the taxi asked as he glanced in the mirror at the lone figure sitting in the back of his car. Smiling softly she shook her head. "What gave me away? Is it the lack of a tan?" She joked inspecting her bare arms as she had rolled up her sleeves as soon as she had exited the airport, the Mississippi heat making her uncomfortable. "Just a bit," He laughed before continuing. "You don't sound like you're from around here, got more of a Northerner's accent."

Rubbing her tired eyes, the small woman looked at the scenery passing by slowly before glancing at the driver. "You'd be surprised at how far north." Was all she said before she noticed they were slowing down as he pulled into the gravel driveway of a cute house. "Are we here?" She asked as she glanced up at the small two floor cottage to the right of the taxi. "Yep, this is the place." The driver confirmed, looking at the paper with the address written neatly on it. "I'll help you with your bags before I go on my way." He stated before popping the trunk and stepping out. Grabbing the few belongings she had sitting in the back seat, Annabel stepped out into the humid air once more, groaning as she felt the sweat begin to form on her forehead once more. "Don't worry, you'll get used it." The man laughed as he watched her struggled to tie her long black hair up and wipe the sweat off her face with her sleeve at the same time.

The pair proceeded up the stepping stones leading from the driveway to a stone arch covered in vines and blossoms that had a small wooden gate inside of it, all of it connected to a wooden picket fence going all the way around the house. As she reached for the gate, she noticed a little silver placard placed on the gate with '_Ravenloft Cottage_' etched into it. "You can just leave those over there, I don't want you to get stuck in traffic or anything." She stated to the taxi driver as she pointed to a little bench sitting on the other side of the gate. Nodding his head the man placed the suitcases down on the bench before turning to the woman he just spent the last 45 minutes with. "Here." She handed him the money for the cab ride along with some extra as a tip and a thank you. The man smiled before he walked back out of the gate and to his car. Annabel waited until the cab was gone before she turned around and walked up the path towards the front door, the path changing from stepping stones to bricks.

There was a large amount of yard on the inside of the fence, mostly dirt patches with unplanted trees and flowers sitting around everywhere. Flowers from lilies to daisies, roses to chrysanthemums and everything in between sat in their pallets and pots waiting to be planted and sitting under the shade of a large willow tree that sat to the right of the house were some topiaries and a few small wooden benches. "_He wasn't kidding when he said I could make this my own little paradise. Especially with this house_." She mused as she stopped to look at the house sitting at the end of the path. It was like a fairy tale had come to life and placed itself before her, waiting for her to come and make the magic lying within come to life.

The cottage was made out of a sandstone with sloping and jutting roofs, covered in roofing resembling pieces of wood. There was a large window on the front of the house that was framed in turquoise painted wood and looked like it opened out into the yard. Next to the window was the front door, a large arched dark wood door with an old fashioned brass handle and a small window placed in the center. There were windows on all the walls of the house, all with the turquoise colored framing and some were covered in vines that creeped up the house to the second floor. To the left of the house the path lead to what seemed to be a little sandstone shed, looking like a mini version of the main house. To the right of the house and past the old willow tree the path went behind the house and from where she was standing Annabel saw a small pond, and beyond that stood a stone wall with a bright red gate placed in the middle.

Digging into the front pocket of her jeans Annabel pulled out an old fashioned brass skeleton key and unlocked the large door to her new home. The door creaked a little as it opened but when the light streamed in Annabel's breath caught in her throat. The inside of the cottage was gorgeous and had her uncles little touches everywhere. The first thing she noticed as she walked over the threshold was the smell, it smelt of her uncles cologne and wildflowers; the two smells she loved most in this world. After she placed her belongings inside the door, she started to wander around taking in the home that was now hers. Pictures of her and her uncle hung on the walls, along with pictures of Alaska, the ocean, and a few generic ones he picked up along the way. Each room was decorated to make it look like you stepped into a fantasy world and reminded her so much of the cottages in the storybooks she was read as a child.

Having explored the first floor Annabel turned towards the small stone staircase that lead to the second floor. The upstairs consisted of two bedrooms and the bathroom and by the smell of the first bedroom she came across this was her uncles room, it smelled strongly of his cologne and his belongings were still inside. Taking a deep breath she turned towards the second bedroom, a sob managing to escape her throat as she looked at the room. Hanging over a large window that opened to a balcony was a large banner with a simple phrase written on it in big silver letters.

_Welcome Home_

It was sick, she realized as she sat outside on the balcony later that evening, sick that her uncle Theodore made it seem like she was coming to live with him, like this is where she belonged. Never mind the fact that he was now dead and buried and let on that he knew he was going to be gone soon. But that was Theodore, always seemed to be one step ahead of her and managed to make the transition as easy as he could. "_It never made any sense to me, why he always seemed to know something was going to happen and why he was so vehement about coming here in the first place_." She mused as she watched the stars twinkle above her.

As the warm night air gently caressed her face and brushed her long, dark tresses back the sound of howling was brought to her ears. It was a long, single howl that was soon met by another and another as the moon got higher in the sky. "I didn't know Mississippi had wolves." She whispered as she continued to listen to the howling. A small smile graced her face as the sound reminded her of home and the times her and Theodore would go camping and listen to the wolves howl. When her hazel eyes, which had become hazy with memories, refocused on the wooded land beyond her stone wall she thought she caught sight of a large pair of golden eyes staring at her from the darkness before they disappeared into the thick trees as quick as they had come.

"_I must be more tired than I thought._" She thought before she stood up to go inside, the soft bed her uncle had bought for her looking much like heaven at this point.

As the light switched off in the bedroom, the golden eyes appeared on the other side of the wall once more this time accompanied by two more pairs. Exchanging glances the three figures quickly turned and disappeared into the woods as fast as their legs could carry them.

The next morning Annabel was up early and as the sun shone through her large balcony window and bathed the room in an ethereal glow, she was already outside sitting in her uncles old pick-up trying to work her GPS. She was starving and there was no food in the house, but what did she expect? To come to the house of her recently deceased family member and find the fridge and cabinets fully stocked to her liking? "Finally!" She cried as she managed to get the damned device to point her in the direction of a diner.

The ride into town was a quiet one, the radio playing softly in the background and her eyes taking in everything around her once again. It was so different than Alaska, but it wasn't a bad different, it was a different she could see herself growing to love. Parking the large truck in a space on the street, Annabel stepped out into the early morning heat and felt like the eyes of the people all around her were staring at her. To them, she was a stranger, someone to be stared at and judged at a distance. Annabel payed them no mind though as she began her stroll down the street, her thick curls dancing around her pale shoulders and sticking out against the white summer dress she had found in her closet. As she turned the corner, her eyes glued to the antique shop window next to her she didn't notice the man rounding the same corner as her until they both crashed into each other.

Feeling like she had been hit by a brick wall Annabel stumbled backwards and hit the ground with a soft 'oomph!' escaping her lips while the man she bumped into had managed to catch and steady himself. "Are you alright?" The man asked, his voice deep and his accent strong. Looking up with cheeks tinged pink, hazel met dark brown as a breath caught in her throat. The man was very tall with broad shoulders that made his massive frame look even larger and a head of dark brown curls. His jaw was strong and covered in black facial hair that had silver streaking through it up to his curls giving him a rough look. A large, tanned hand suddenly appeared before her face and snapped her out of her mental drooling.

"Oh! Thank you." As she placed her small hand in his larger one she noticed his hand was extremely warm despite the temperature. "I'm really sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She bashfully apologized, having to tilt her head back to look up into the strangers face.

"It's alright, I wasn't paying attention either." Came his reply as he looked down at the woman in front of him, looking like a porcelain doll come to life. "I'm Annabel, Annabel Ravenloft." She introduced, presenting her hand once again. As his large hand cupped hers once more Annabel felt a small spark from where his fingers touched her own.

"Alcide Herveaux, pleasure to meet you."


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry it's taken forever to update. Life has been kicking my butt lately as well as this heat that has suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I want to thank everyone who reviewed and kept asking me to update soon. I'm still not sure where I'm going to take this but we'll see!**

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><p>His hand was warm, warmer than hers but she didn't mind. She like it, it reminded her of being by a fire on a cold night and wrapped in a blanket. The sun danced against his golden skin and dark hair, making him look all the more like a god than a human.<p>

"Say, you wouldn't by chance be related to Theodore Ravenloft would you?" Alcide asked as the name suddenly rang a mental bell.

"Yes, he was my uncle." she answered, sadness quickly flashing through her hazel eyes.

"I'm sorry about what happened to him. He was a good man, hired my old man and me to build the cottage."

Alcide rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at the smaller woman before him, the sadness of her uncles death visible in her eyes. As a breeze blew past and caught Annabels hair in it's gentle grasp Alcide could smell wildflowers, crisp mountain waters, and burning wood. She smelt of freedom and wide open spaces.

"Thank you," she murmured, looking down at her yellow flats before looking back up at the handsome southerner in front of her.

"The cottage is quite beautiful. You and your father did a wonderful job on it."

The smallest of blushes stained the tanned cheeks of the wolf in embarrassment before he suddenly remembered something.

"Awe shoot! I'm sorry Annabel, I completely forgot I'm late picking my nephew up for school on account of his mamma has to be into work early." he apologized sheepishly.

She laughed, a tinkling laugh like icicles clinking together.

"Well don't let me keep you any longer. It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Herveaux." she said with a smile before she stepped out of the taller mans way and continued her path, turning the corner without looking back.

Alcide stood there for a moment, watching Annabel disappear around the corner before he too continued his path down the street, heading for his sisters house and slightly fearing her wrath at him being late.

Thoughts of the dark haired man plagued Annabels mind for the rest of the morning. He knew her uncle from building the cottage, did he know how he had died? How well did they know each other? He was beautiful, that she was sure of. He was ruggedly handsome and reminded her of what she always thought the woodcutter would look like in the Little Red Riding Hood story she was so fond of as a child. And as she thought of him a small heat formed in her chest. But as she walked through the city looking in the different shop windows her mind wandered to a thought she had from the time she went to bed last night. Were there really vampires here in Jackson?

As the afternoon sun found it's place high in the sky Annabel found herself standing outside of a hair salon, beads of sweat dripping down the back of her neck and down her chest. She couldn't stand this heat, neither could her hair which was frizzing more and more as the day wore on. She pushed the door open and stepped into the salon, the cold air a welcomed change to the heat on the other side of the glass.

A tall woman with brown and blonde hair looked up for the front desk as she walked up, looking around nervously.

"Can I help you darlin'?" she asked the dark haired girl before her, her accent just as thick as everyone elses.

"I was just wondering if you knew a conditioner I could use because I'm not used to this kind of heat and it's making my hair crazy." Annabel answered while she tried to smooth the frizzy curls.

The woman laughed before walking around the counter.

"Where you from darlin'? You're too pale to be from the south." she asked as she led her towards a rack of shampoos and conditioners for sale against a wall. Picking up a bottle of conditioner she handed it to Annabel who glanced up into the woman's dark brown eyes.

"Alaska. I just moved here." she answered sheepishly.

The woman standing before her was beautiful with her long dark hair and big eyes. She was tall, tan, and had a perfect body and made Annabel feel like a child.

"Well damn. That's pretty far but don't worry. That conditioner was made for this kind of heat so it'll keep your pretty hair in wonderful condition."

After paying for her conditioner and thanking the woman who she came to find out was named Janice and the owner of the salon, Annabel turned to leave only to stop in her tracks as the door to the salon opened and a little brown haired boy walked in followed by the southern devil himself, Alcide.


	4. Chapter 4

He was everywhere, she couldn't escape him. He had plagued her thoughts from the moment they parted ways and now he was before her once more. Panic spread throughout her body like wildfire with no immediate relief in site. What if he thought she was stalking him? But that wasn't possible. She didn't know he would walk in the door, she didn't know she would wind up in this particular salon, she didn't know a lot of things. She didn't know why she was so afraid, it didn't make any sense.

"_It's just a coincidence." _she reminded herself as she tried to control the racing of her heart.

Suddenly dark brown met hazel and time seemed to stop for Annabel. Everything faded from view except for the dark pools she was staring in to. Something wild lurked behind them she realized, wild and fierce. Her breath was caught in her breast, her eyes unmoving and the only movement she made was the tightening of her hand around the parcel clutched between her pale fingers. Janice's voice brought the small woman back to life like a car cashing through her brain.

"Hey sugar! How was hanging out with Uncle Alcide?" she cooed to the little boy who ran into her open arms.

The small boy began chattering away to his momma about his day at school and hanging out with his favorite Uncle afterwards but Annabel didn't hear a word of what he said. Her eyes were still glued to the man before her who looked at her with...surprise?

"Fancy meetin' you here Annabel." he spoke softly, but softly for Alcide Herveaux was still like a rough caress; like calloused fingers gently stroking silk.

"O-oh. I was just buying some conditioner is all." she mumbled looking down at her feet.

He made her nervous and she couldn't help it. She barely knew him and he already her stumbling over her words and acting like an elementary school child.

"Oh! Do you know this little darlin' Alcide?" Janice questioned as she walked up next to Annabel, her eyes wide with curiosity and something else.

A pink blush quickly painted Annabels pale cheeks as she looked up at Janice in embarrassment. So this was the sister he had mentioned earlier in the day when they first bumped into each other. Now that she knew what Janice looked like she could see the similarities between the siblings. Both tall, dark and beautiful creatures. She felt out of place standing between them.

"We met this morning while I was on my way to your place. We bumped into each other on the sidewalk and that's why I was late. I told you I wasn't lyin'." he answered giving her a pointed look as if saying 'I told you so'.

Janice simply waved him off as if he hadn't said a word. She slid an arm around Annabel's pale shoulders, the difference in skin color becoming painfully present.

"Sorry if this big lug scared ya, he's a big 'ol teddy bear once ya get to know him." she laughed as she gently squeezed the smaller woman's shoulders.

Giving a nervous smile Annabel quickly said her goodbyes before walking out of the salon with an obvious haste to her step, her cheeks burning in embarrassment and her lip clutched between two rows of pearly whites.

"Damnit Janice, why did you have to go and embarrass the poor girl like that?" Alcide thundered as the door slowly swung closed, the petite woman having taken off down the sidewalk like a bat out of hell.

"I didn't mean anything by it!" she defended before giving her brother a rude jesture.

A powerful sigh escaped the dark haired man before he bid his family farewell and wandered back into the Mississippi heat, his thoughts going from the encounter with Annabel only a moment ago to anger and despair as Cooter and his gang rode past on their bikes, Debbie clutched to his back like a second skin.


End file.
